Combination brake and roller for cabinet structure

ABSTRACT

A refrigerator cabinet is provided with rollers at each of its lower front and rear corners, each rotatable on shafts fixedly mounted on the cabinet. A bracket is pivotal on each of the front roller shafts, which bracket includes a friction pad. Pivotation of the brackets is such that in one position thereof the front rollers are caused to engage the floor and, along with the rear rollers, support the cabinet. In another position of the brackets, their friction pads are caused to engage the floor and, along with the rear rollers, support the cabinet, with the front wheels held in slightly elevated position to brake the cabinet against rolling. Pivotation of each bracket is effected by a manually rotatable screw accessible at a corresponding front corner of the cabinet.

United States Patent [191 Scherzinger Apr. 16, 1974 COMBINATION BRAKE AND ROLLER FOR CABINET STRUCTURE [75] Inventor: Earl S. Scherzinger, Connersville,

[21] Appl. No.: 311,723

Primary Examiner-Duane A. Reger Attorney, Agent, or FirmRobert D. Sanborn; Harry W. Hargis, III

[5 7] ABSTRACT A refrigerator cabinet is provided with rollers at each of its lower front and rear corners, each rotatable on shafts fixedly mounted on the cabinet. A bracket is pivotal on each of the front roller shafts, which bracket includes a friction pad. Pivotation of the 52 U.S. Cl. 188 5, 188 2 R {51} Int. Cl B60t i/14 brackets is Such that in there [58] Field of Search 188/1 D 4 R 5, 19 2 R rollers are caused to engage the floor and, along with the rear rollers, support the cabinet. In another posi [56] Referehces Cited tion of the brackets, their friction pads are caused to engage the floor and, along with the rear rollers, sup- UNITED STATES PATENTS port the cabinet, with the front wheels held in slightly 2,282,202 5/1942 Nichol 188/5 elevated position to brake cabinet against rolling 2 Pivotation of each bracket is effected by a manually 2689744 9/1954 s z /5 X rotatable screw accessible at. a corresponding front comer of the cabinet FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS t l 972,571 8/1950 France 188/5 5 Claims 3 Drawmg Figures I I g L l l I! 26 2! l c:

I l i T; l A 7 I l l e 6t I a,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With more detailed reference to the drawing, there This invention relates to support of massive cabinets, 5 is illustrated in FIG. 1 a refrigerator cabinet 10, of othand more particularly to improved combination brake and roller construction for domestic appliances, such as refrigerator cabinets.

Refrigerator cabinets of the free-standing type ideally l are provided with rollers to permit movement away from adjacent wall structure to permit cleaning. Since this movement is usually toward and away from a rear wall, it is advantageous to provide for locking the rollers to avoid inadvertent movements of the cabinet due to opening and closing its door or doors.

It is a general objective of this invention to provide improved economical brake and roller construction of the above described type.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION bracket, generally channelshaped in cross section, is

pivotal in a vertical plane on portions of each roller shaft means, the latter extending through leg portions of each channel-shaped bracket. An upper end of each bracket is engaged by a manual bolt or set screw accessible from the front lower corners of the cabinet structure and operable to pivot the bracket on the roller shaft means. A'lower region of each bracket includes an arcuate web portion movable, in response to operation of the set screw for pivoting the bracket, between positions above andbelow the floor plane defined by circumferential portions of the rollers. In its upper pivoted position, the bracket accommodates support of the refrigerator front corners on the corresponding rollers, and in its lower pivoted position, the arcuate web portion of the bracket supports the front corners of the refrigerator. Advantageously, each of the brackets serves as a brake and as an adjustable levelling support.

The manner in which the foregoing as well as other objectives and advantages of the invention may best be achieved will be more fully understood from a consideration of the following description, taken in light of the accompanying drawing,

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective showing of a refrigerator cabinet, with parts broken away to illustrate adjustable brake and roller means therefor;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a brake and roller means of the type seen looking generally in the direction of arrows 2-2 applied to the left front corner of the refrigerator illustrated in FIG. I; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective showing of a portion of the brake and roller means illustrated in the preceding figures, as viewed from a different vantage point.

erwise conventional construction, having a base portion 11 provided with four rollers, one pair illustrated at 12 and the other-at 13. Rollers 12 are a pair of like rollers disposed in regions of .the rear corners of the 0 cabinet, on axially aligned shafts (not shown) mounted on base portion 11. Similarly, rollers 13 are a pair of like rollers carried by axially aligned shafts 17 mounted on base portion 11. Front roller shafts 17 are generally parallel to the rear roller shafts.

Considering cabinet 10 in more detail, and particularly the region of the front roller 13 as illustrated in detail in FIGS. 2 and 3, a bracket 14 includes .an arcuate weight-supporting foot, or friction pad 15, and is pivotal on the front roller shafts 17. Each bracket 14 is generally channel-shaped in cross section, and is pivotal in a vertical plane on portions of each roller shaft 17 that extend through suitable openings in leg portions 20 of each channel-shaped bracket 14. Each arcuate friction pad 15 comprises an extension of the lower region of bracket web portion 21. An upper region of each bracket 14 is engaged by one of the manually operable adjusting screws 16 that extend through a slot 22 in web portion 21 of the bracket, and through an opening 23 in the front wall 24 of cabinet base portion 11. As will be appreciated from FIG. 1, wall 24 is covered by a removable toe plate 27 of conventional design, which plate affords access to the adjusting screws 16. For convenience of illustration, plate 27 has been removed in FIGS. 2 and'3. Engagement of an adjusting screw 16 with a bracket 14 is afforded by a flat nut 25 that abuttingly engages knife-edge portions 26 of apertures 30 in leg portions 20, and through which apertures nut 25 extends;

Considering each'bracket 14 in further detail, and as is best seen in FIG. 3, arcuate pad 15 advantageously is wider (see 15a) than the spacing of legs 20 in an amount sufficient to ensure that the pad overlaps the legs slightly, thereby to brace the web portion extension forming the pad against the weight of cabinet 10, Pad 15 further includes a strip 31 of suitable material, for example polyvinylchloride, which enhances nonslip engagement of the pad with the floor. To insure its retention, strip 31 is cemented to the arcuate portion of web 21, as well as having a slotted portion 32 that fits over the end of the curved extension of web portion 21, and having an opposite end portion 33 held by a screw S extending through the web portion.

With reference to FIG. 2, pivotation of brackets 14 on shafts 17, as effected by manual adjusting screws 16, is such that in one pivoted position of the brackets (broken line), corresponding front rollers 13 are caused to engage the floor F (broken line), and, along with the rear rollers 12, support the cabinet. In another pivoted position of brackets 14 (full line), the bracket along with the rear rollers 12, support cabinet 10, with the front rollers 13 being held in slightly elevated position. Pivotation of each bracket 14 is therefore readily afforded by a corresponding one of manually rotatable adjusting screws 16 accessible upon removal of toe plate 27. Each screw 16 further is conveniently accessible in order to provide for levelling adjustment of the cabinet.

It will be appreciated that the apparatus disclosed and claimed not only affords a braking and levelling function, but it also affords a front cabinet support effective to resist forward tipping of the cabinet. Resistance to tipping is enhanced by the forward extent of the pad with respect to roller 13, which arrangement affords an increased moment arm that aids in countering the substantial moment of force arising upon opening one, or both, of the relatively heavy cabinet doors. Further advantages reside in the fact that bracket 14 may be fabricated as a metal stamping and then bent to its final shape. Also, strip 31 on pad 15 may be cut from stock extruded in the desired cross section, in provision of foot means for engagement withthe floor.

I claim:

1. Combination brake and roller apparatus for supporting cabinet structure on means defining a floor plane, comprising: means defining a shaft on said cabinet structure; a roller on said shaft for engaging said floor plane to support said cabinet structure; lever means pivoted intermediate end portions thereof on said shaft, said lever means being of generally channel shape, and having apertures in leg portions thereof through which said shaft extends in support of said lever means; foot means on one end of said lever means defined by the web portion of said channelshaped lever means, said portion including a section curved generally above the axis of said shaft; and manually operable means coupled with the other end of said lever means and selectively movable to pivot said lever means, said lever means being pivotal between a retracted position in which said foot means is spaced from the floor plane in provision of support of the cabinet structure by said roller, and an extended position in which said foot means projects into generally rolling, frictional engagement with the floor to provide support for said cabinet structure and to brake said roller.

2. Combination brake and roller apparatus for supporting cabinet structure on means defining a floor plane, comprising; means defining a shaft on said cabinet structure; a roller on said shaft for engaging said floor plane to support said cabinet structure; lever means pivoted intermediate end portions thereof on said shaft; foot means on one end of said lever means; and manually operable screw means threadedly engaged with the other end of said lever means and including a portion retained for rotation within said cabinet structure, said screw means being selectively rotatable to pivot said lever means, said lever means being pivotal between a retracted position-in which said foot means is spaced from the floor plane in provision of support of the cabinet structure by said roller, and an extended position in which said foot means projects into floor plane engaging position to provide support for said cabinet structure and to brake said roller,

3. The combination according to claim 1, and characterized in that said foot means comprises friction pad means including a strip of flexible and resilient material having a slotted end portion that receives an end portion of the recited curved section of said web portion, said strip extending over said curved section, and means for holding said strip in contact with said curved section.

4. The combination according to claim 3 and further characterized in that said strip is cemented to said curved section, and by the inclusion of screw means extending through said strip and threaded into said web portion, in provision of said means for holding said strip. v

5. The combination according to claim 1, and further characterized in that said curved section of said web portion extends over edges of adjacent leg portions of saidchannel-shaped lever means, said edges of said adjacent leg portions having a curvilinear shape corresponding generally to the shape of said curved web port on. 

1. Combination brake and roller apparatus for supporting cabinet structure on means defining a floor plane, comprising: means defining a shaft on said cabinet structure; a roller on said shaft for engaging said floor plane to support said cabinet structure; lever means pivoted intermediate end portions thereof on said shaft, said lever means being of generally channel shape, and having apertures in leg portions thereof through which said shaft extends in support of said lever means; foot means on one end of said lever means defined by the web portion of said channel-shaped lever means, said portion including a section curved generally above the axis of said shaft; and manually operable means coupled with the other end of said lever means and selectively movable to pivot said lever means, said lever means being pivotal between a retracted position in which said foot means is spaced from the floor plane in provision of support of the cabinet structure by said roller, and an extended position in which said foot means projects into generally rolling, frictional engagement with the floor to provide support for said cabinet structure and to brake said roller.
 2. Combination brake and roller apparatus for supporting cabinet structure on means defining a floor plane, comprising: means defining a shaft on said cabinet structure; a roller on said shaft for engaging said floor plane to support said cabinet structure; lever means pivoted intermediate end portions thereof on said shaft; foot means on one end of said lever means; and manually operable screw means threadedly engaged with the other end of said lever means and including a portion retained for rotation within said cabinet structure, said screw means being selectively rotatable to pivot said lever means, said lever means being pivotal between a retracted position in which said foot means is spaced from the floor plane in provision of support of the cabinet structure by said roller, and an extended position in which said foot means projects into floor plane engaging position to provide support for said cabinet structure and to brake said roller.
 3. The combination according to claim 1, and characterized in that said foot means comprises friction pad means including a strip of flexible and resilient material having a slotted end portion that receives an end portion of the recited curved section of said web portion, said strip extending over said curved section, and means for holding said strip in contact with said curved section.
 4. The combination according to claim 3 and further characterized in that said strip is cemented to said curved section, and by the inclusion of screw means extending through said strip and threaded into said web portion, in provision of said means for holding said strip.
 5. The combination according to claim 1, and further characterized in that said curved section of said web portion extends over edges of adjacent leg portions of said channel-shaped lever means, said edges of said adjacent leg portions having a curvilinear shape corresponding generally to the shape of said curved web portion. 